This invention relates to piezoelectric materials for transducers and, more particularly, to PZT/polymer composites and a simplified fabrication method thereof.
Many efforts have been made to improve electromechanical properties of homogeneous piezoelectric materials. As an example, Skinner et al as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,111 to Cross et al., developed a flexible PZT (lead zirconate titanate) polymer composite transducer in which the two phases formed interpenetrating 3-dimensional networks. This form of diphasic connectivity is referred to as a 3:3 structure. Such a composite was designed to take maximum advantage of the useful properties of each phase. The resultant composite had a low density for improved acoustic coupling to water or human tissue, and was compliant to resist mechanical shocks and provided high damping (low mechanical Q) and flexibility, thus making it possible to fabricate a conformable detector. The composites exhibited a very large piezoelectric voltage coefficient. Skinner et al prepared their composites utilizing a coral replamine process. Their process included the use of a natural coral infused with wax. Hydrochloric acid was used to dissolve the coral. A PZT slurry was used to impregnate the wax form and then sintered to make a PZT "coral" structure. The sintered structure was then impregnated with an epoxy or other suitable material. However, Skinner's approach is not easily useable for manufacturing purposes of such materials because of its use of natural coral and lack of reproducibility of the composites so obtained. It is thus desirable to have a method of preparing PZT/polymer composites which is simple and which produces desirable transducer materials with reproducible results.